Online Reporter
Ray Bande in MUTARE
MANICA Diamonds are fighting hard to preserve their place in the Castle Lager Premiership.
They boosted their mission to evade relegation when they edged GreenFuel 2-1 at Sakubva on Saturday.
It wasn’t a classic match.
There was needless loss of possession, owing to blind passes, typical schoolboy errors and a general lack of basic ball control and bluntness in front of goal.
In a season where match officials have been suspended for poor performance, referee Trinity Dirwai and his assistants − Evans Chabatabere and Claris Simango − were impressive.
Manica Diamonds coach Tafadzwa Mashiri said it was a massive result in their bid to avoid the chop.
“This is a huge relief for us after going for weeks without managing a win. We had a bad first half but the substitutes that we brought in the second half changed the complexion of the match.
“We managed to start creating more scoring opportunities and eventually got the goals we badly needed.
“We will continue fighting on till the end of the season,” said Mashiri.
GreenFuel assistant coach, Godfrey Tamirepi, who stood in for his boss Rodwell Dhlakama in the post-match interview sessions, said:
“It is really a bad result for us. We had managed to control the match in the first half but somehow came back for the second half in a low gear.
“We allowed our opponents to claw back into the game and get the goals they wanted.
“We also missed a number of chances that we feel we should have made the most out of.
“In the end, we just have to keep pushing and hope for the best. There is still a lot to play for and we are confident that we will make it.”
